#7394 [2005-07-26 02:34:22]
Rally round the flag, boys!
by
thomas_tessera
Would a samurai have ever said that?
The recent mention of kosho brought to mind the question - did the
standard have the same emotional value as it does in the west?
At Mikatagahara Ieyasu was 'obliged' to leave the field; his father
was once 'sent to the rear' when things got tough and a Honda took his
place and fell in battle.
Would the standards be likewise sent back with the daimyo, or would
they stay and make their stand? When Ieyasu was given a banner of the
Pure Land sect, would that be a raalying point for his followers?
Again in the west when facing the impossible, the colours were sent to
the rear (a great morale boost, I'm sure!) as there was dishonour in
allowing the colours to fall into enemy hands.
Is it Kagemusha in which the defeat army throw their banners down and
retreat? (I can picture the image, but not the film).
Just a curiosity. I've never come across this.
Except, of course, the planting of the flag in Seven Samurai - this is
probably the kind of thing I'm wondering about.
And if the standard did not have an equivalant emotive value, was
there anything, apart from the person of the commander, that did?
And again, there is a famous tale of a clash between samurai and sohei
in which the samurai fired an arrow at the portable shrine carried by
the monks (so famous it completely escapes me) which might be read in
a similar vein.
Tom
(been offscene for a while)
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